The news that even Alan Greenspan and Senator Chris Dodd suggest that bank nationalization may be necessary shows how desperate the situation has become. The problem with America's banks is not just one of liquidity. Years of reckless behavior, including bad lending and gambling with derivatives, have left them, in effect, bankrupt. If our government were playing by the rules--which require shutting down banks with inadequate capital--many, if not most, banks would go out of business. Joseph Stigliz, the Nobel prize winning economists, discusses how Obama and Congress should take over the American Banking System

Health care advocates today said that President Obama was not being truthful with the American people yesterday at the White House health care forum when he said that nothing was off the table in the health care reform debate. Several of his spokespeople, including Robert Gibbs, stated yesterday that President Obama would not be considering a single payer program, the one plan that cuts costs the most, provides health care for all and has the strongest support among the public, doctors and nurses. While taking single payer off the table, President Obama and his staff however have repeatedly acknowledged that single payer would do the best job in providing health care to America.

The Faith and Hunger Network, along with anti-poverty and human service groups, called today upon state lawmakers to raise the basic welfare grant more than the 10% proposed by Governor Paterson. Paterson has proposed 10% a year for three years. THe groups pointed out that the state will receive as much as half a billion in extra welfare dollars over the next few years, partially due to recent federal economic stimulus package

The financial sector invested more than $5 billion in political influence purchasing in Washington over the past decade, with as many as 3,000 lobbyists winning deregulation and other policy decisions that led directly to the current financial collapse, according to a 231-page report issued today by Essential Information and the Consumer Education Foundation.

In response to the demonstrations in Albany planned for the next day by Fred Phelps of "God Hates Fags" notoriety, a broad-based Ad Hoc M6 Coalition invites all who oppose bigotry and hate to join them at 5 PM on the steps of City Hall to encourage "Unity in the Community".

A broad range of groups will rally at the State Capitol on Thurs March 5th at 5:30 PM to oppose budget cuts in health care, human services and education and to call for fair taxes. Fair Share Tax Reform would roll back tax cuts for the wealthiest New Yorkers. Over the last 30 years,New York has reduced income tax rates for the wealthiest New Yorkers by 50% and eliminated high income tax brackets, resulting in $8 billion of lost revenue each year. As a result, working class families and the very rich pay now the same marginal tax rate – 6.85%.

Detailed evidence has emerged of Israel's extensive use of US-made weaponry during its war in Gaza last month, including white phosphorus artillery shells, 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles.

Peace activist Joel Kovel has been fired by Bard College due to his scholarship on Zionism. Dr. Kovel (a medical doctor as well as psychiatry), who is Jewish, was the Green Party nominee for US Senate in 1998 running against Chuck Schumer and Al D'Amato. He was nominated for a National Book Award for his writings about anti-racism. Recently he has drawn national attention for his work on the theories of ecosocialism. In Overcoming Zionism, Kovel argues that the inner contradictions of Zionism have led Israel to a "state-sponsored racism fully as incorrigible as that of apartheid South Africa and deserving of the same resolution." He has been the Alger Hiss Chair of Social Studies at Bard College since 1988.

After taken control of the State Senate from the GOP after 40 years of control, the Senate Democrats still haven't figured out how many Republican operatives were on the payroll. They have found a special "Brunomobile" that was created once Sen. Bruno couldn't fly anymore on state jets to his fundraisers. They found a 70 person printing company, a research company, hidden tv studios - and the search continues.

Governor Paterson's reappointment of two current members of the Public Service Commissioners is drawing criticism from a wide range of groups. The PSC has strong authority of various energy and utility companies. The Greens are concerned that Paterson failed to take the opportunity to appoint strong consumer and environmental advocates to the positions, two years after being elected on a mantra of change. THe Greens says that the Paterson administration is too cozy with the nuclear, coal and energy industry when we need to be promoting renewable energy and conservation to deal with Climate Change. Newsday wants to know why a former Republican Assemblymember who got the PSC position as a patrongage deal and who has been close to utility executives is being reappointed. Good government groups are concerned about the lack of a open process.

For years environmentalists have been trying to convince state lawmakers to expand the bottle bill to include water and juice containers not covered by the original bill 25 years ago. Now the unclaimed deposits - worth over $150 million a year - may finally produce the needed action, especially now that the Democrats have kicked out Joe Bruno as Senate Majority Leader. The new Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith has not yet indicated his position however. A coalition of groups today released a new survey showing that more than 8.9 billion bottles and cans of carbonated beverages, which are currently covered under the Bottle Bill, were sold in New York in 2006, and more than 4.6 billion containers of non-carbonated beverages, which would be included in the deposit program if the Bigger Better Bottle Bill were enacted.

A Massacre in 3/4 Time. Waltz with Bashir is hallucinatory, relentless, and amazing. Waltz with Bashir explores nightmares of the Israeli-condoned, 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Arguably the most unique film to come out of any global corner in 2008, filmmaker Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir can be defined, just on its surface, as a head-shaking fugue between social documentary and digitally animated epic. From the first haunting scene — a combat survivor's recurring nightmare of 26 barking dogs he was forced to shoot to keep an element of surprise — the movie grips you and won't let go. Folman cuts deep with images of his young self, of naked boys emerging from the sea to pull on uniforms, of a crazed soldier dancing with his rifle as he fires randomly at unseen snipers, and a final glimpse of devastating reality. Get ready to be knocked for a loop.